Spring buckle



A. ROSS] SPRING BUCKLE Sept. 28, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 18,1960 fi WE M 6 n 6 Av B F 4 w w w a F WM 277% 4770E/VEV5' A. ROSS]SPRING BUCKLE Sept. 28, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Filed Aug. 18, 1960 I I N V EN TOR. A/zac/ew 1905.96

WM) m United States Patent 3,298,124 SPRING BUCKLE Anacleto Rossi, ViaLandino 14, Florence, Italy Filed Aug. 18, 1960, Ser. No. 50,342 16Claims. (Cl. 24-181) This invention relates generally to the class ofbuckles and clasps and is directed particularly to improvements inbuckles or fastening devices designed for use with waist belts forsupporting trousers and similar garments.

Belt buckles are known which have in the construction thereof a bodyportion constituting a slide guide, which is adapted to be secured toone end of a waist belt and having another portion which is connected tothe body portion for sliding movement thereon against the resistance ofa yieldable connector between the parts and which other part is designedto be adjustably connected to the other end of the waist belt.

An unsatisfactory feature of this known buckle construction resides inthe fact that the slide guide or body portion which comes in contactwith the garment is checked in its movements by the garment itself andaccordingly restricts the ease of sliding or movement relative to thegarment or, in other words, such body portion which is securedpermanently to the one end of the belt does not have all of the freedomof play with respect to the garment which is desirable.

It is a particular object, in view of the foregoing, to provide animproved belt buckle structure for use particularly in connection withbelts for supporting trousers and similar garments wherein a means isprovided for permitting elastic or yieldable movement between the partswhich are connected to the two ends of the garment belt and relative tothe base or body part of the buckle which, in use, remains substantiallystationary with respect to the garment. Accordingly a greater degree ofmovement or play is had between the connected ends of the garment beltthan in the previously known type of buckle, hereinbefore referred to,without having the garment itself involved in any way as a restrictingmeans to such movement.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel belt bucklestructure wherein there is provided a body portion designed to functionas a slide guide, and a pair of relatively slidable elements mountedupon said body portion and resiliently connected together and adaptedfor connection with the two ends of a belt and wherein such structure isof a design which facilitates the quick and easy attachment of the beltends to the relatively movable and resiliently connected parts of thebuckle.

Another object of the invention is to provide a buckle structure of thetype described, which is designed in a novel manner whereby the partsthereof can be easily and economically formed and readily assembled foruse. A further and general object of the invention is to provide a newand novel belt buckle which, when attached to the two ends of a Waistbelt, will permit such ends to have relative free play independently ofthe part of the buckle upon which they are mounted.

Broadly, the present invention embodies an improved buckle structurehaving an elongate body portion constituting a slide carrying and guidestructure, and a pair of sliding components mounted upon the guidestructure independently of one another but connected together by anelastic means. One of such slide components is designed to be fixedlysecured to an end of a waist belt, while the other component isconstructed so that it may be adjustably attached to the other end ofthe waist belt, as for example, by means of the conventionallongitudinally spaced apertures in the body of the belt and whichapertures provide the usual means of adjusting the size 3,208,124Patented Sept. 28, 1965 of the belt or adjusting the belt to the size ofthe wearers waist. More specifically the belt structure comprises anelongate flat body portion constituting the slide guide formingstructure, which body portion is of slightly longitudinally arcuate formand is made up of a front and back wall, which front and back walls areflanged along their longitudinal edges and which flanges are recessed sothat when the front and back walls are fixed together in parallelrelation there will be provided longitudinal edge slots. A first orbridging slide spans the outer side of the front wall and has edge lipswhich extend into the longitudinal slots for sliding engagement therein.Associated with this bridging slide is an inner or covered slide whichcarries a headed stud projecting through a longitudinal slot in thefront wall of the body portion for adjustable connection with an end ofa waist belt and the body portion of the buckle forms a casing orhousing enclosing a pair of springs which resiliently connect the slidestogether, and means is provided for fixedly or nonadjustably securingthe other end of the waist belt to the bridging slide. Thus, when theslides of the buckle are connected to the ends of the Waist belt withthe arcuate body portion between the connected ends and the garment orthe body of the wearer, both slides may have movement relative to theguide forming body and they may also have relative movement one to theother to permit the waist belt size to change in accordance with changesin the waist measurements of the wearer while the belt is being worn.

The invention will best be understood from a consideration of thefollowing detailed description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings forming a part of this specification with the understanding,however, that the invention is not confined to a strict conformity withthe showing of the drawings but may be changed or modified so long assuch changes or modifications mark no material departure from thesalient features of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a belt buckle constructed inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view on an enlarged scale of the buckle of FIG. 1looking at the front thereof.

FIG. 3 is a view in edge elevation of the buckle shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a view in edge elevation of the form of the buckle shown inFIG. 1 showing the same connected to the overlapped ends of a waist beltand showing a portion of the bridging slide, the attached end of thebelt and the locking means in section.

FIG. 5 is a transverse section taken substantially on the line 5-5 ofFIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal section taken in the plane of line 6-6 on FIG.3 looking in the direction of the arrows but showing the attaching studin end elevation and showing the position of the slot of the body frontwall in dotted outline.

FIG. 7 is an edge elevational view showing the front and back walls ofthe body portion prior to bringing the same together in the assemblingof the buckle structure.

FIG. 8 is a view in perspective of the slides and the coupling springstherebetween, the parts being in exploded relation.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the blank from which the body portion isformed.

FIG. 10 is a view in perspective of a locking element for securing oneend of a waist belt in the bridging slide.

FIG. 11 is a view in plan of a second embodiment of the inventionshowing the same connected with the fixed end of a waist belt andshowing portions of the embodiment such as the bridging slide and thefront wall of the body respectively in section but broken away.

FIG. 12 is a view in edge elevation of the structure shown in FIG. 11and showing the second or adjustable end of the waist belt attachedthereto.

FIG. 13 is a view in plan of the bridging slide and belt end attachingyoke, a portion of the bridging slide being broken away.

FIG. 14 is a view in edge elevation of the attaching yoke and thebridging slide with which it is connected, the latter being partially insection.

FIG. 15 is a view in front elevation of another or third embodiment ofthe buckle structure.

FIG. 16 is a view in edge elevation of the third embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a view partly in elevation of the third embodiment showingthe bridging slide in one extreme position of movement relative to thebody and the inner slide, the bridging slide being partly in section andthe front wall of the body portion being broken away.

FIG. 18 is a front elevational view corresponding to FIG. 17 but showingthe slides in the extreme positions of separation one from the other,the body at the slotted end of the front wall being in section and thelocation of the slot being shown in dotted outline.

FIG. 19 is a partial longitudinal section taken substantially in theplane of line 19-19 of FIG. 16 looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 20 is a view in transverse section taken approximately on the line20-20 of FIG. 15.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, reference will first bemade to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 10inclusive.

In FIG. 1 the numeral 10 generally designates a belt buckle constructedin accordance with one or a first embodiment of the invention. Thebuckle structure comprises a slide guide body which is generallydesignated 12 with which are associated a pair of slide members one ofwhich is generally designated 14 and which constitutes What will betermed the bridging slide, while the other slide is generally designated16 and may be generally termed the inner or covered slide, which slides14 and 16 are resiliently coupled together in a manner hereinafterdescribed.

The guide body, as shown in FIG. 9, is formed of two long wall parts.This figure illustrates the blank from which the wall parts areconstructed and comprises the front wall section 18 and the back wallsection 20 which, as shown, are in the form of long rectangular membersjoined along the end front line 22 to be brought into juxtaposedcooperative relationship forming the guide body 12 hereinbefore referredto.

The wall portions 18 and 20 in FIG. 9 are shown as having edge foldlines 24 which provide in the shaping of the rectangular wall parts thelongitudinal and end flanges 25 and 26 respectively for the front andback walls. Each of these longitudinal flanges has a recessed portionextending through the larger part of the length thereof and intermediatetheir ends, which recessed portions of the front and back walls aredesignated respectively 27 and 28.

The front and back wall portions are folded together whereby to bringthe edge flanges thereof into opposing and joined relation and when sofolded together the recessed edges 27 and 28 of the two wall portionsprovide the guide body with the long longitudinal slots 29 for thepurpose hereinafter set forth.

After the wall parts 18 and 20 are brought together to form the slottedguide body the free ends of the wall parts are coupled together by thetongues 30' which form initially integral portions of the blank wallpart 18. Thus, by means of the tongues 30, when the wall parts 18 and 20are folded into superposed or juxtaposed relation there is provided theguide body which is generally designated 12, forming the chamber 31.

The slide guide body is also formed with a slight longitudinal curvatureas is clearly shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and 7, the back wall 20 being onthe concave side of the body.

The bridge slide 14 comprises a front or face plate portion 32 which isof a materially greater width than the front Wall 18 before which it ispositioned and across which it extends. At opposite sides the plate 32carries the side walls 33 which extend across the longitudinal edges ofthe body front wall 18 and these side walls of the bridge slide joininturned flanges 34 which extend through the guide slots 29 as shownbest in FIGS. 1 and 5.

Each of the flanges 34 is pressed or otherwise formed to have alongitudinal rib 35 and these ribs engage the outer sides of the flangesof the back wall 20 in the slotted portion of such flanges. In otherwords, the flanges of the back wall are confined between the ribs 35 soas to hold the bridging slide against movement transversely of the guidebody.

As will be readily apparent upon reference to FIGS. 7 and 9, the sidetongues 30 on the front wall 18 are at the ends of the recessed portions27 and accordingly it will be seen that these tongues 31 will limit thesliding movement of the bridge guide toward the end of the guide bodywhere the tongues 30 are located.

At the front end of the body 12 the front wall 18 is provided with aslot 36 which is located on the longitudinal center of the wall and thisslot receives the hereinafter described belt connecting or beltattaching stud carried by the inner or covered slide 16.

The flanges 34 carry the hooks 37 which are aligned transversely of thebridging slide as shown in FIG. 6, the function of which hooks will behereinafter described.

The inner slide 16 comprises a plate 38 which is positioned entirelywithin the chamber 31. The plate 38 carries the two spaced arms 39 whichextend longitudinally within the chamber 31 each adjacent to a sideflange 26 and these arms are directed toward the ends of the flanges 34of the bridge slide and are adapted to contact the flange to limit themovement of the plate 38 toward the bridge slide.

The plate 33 carries a post 40 which extends through and is adapted toslide in the slot 36 and upon its outer end the post carries a head ortop 41.

The plate 38 also has means, here shown as being in the form of openingsor apertures 42, for the connection therewith of springs 43. Each springhas one end connected by the hook 44 in an opening 42 and the oppositeend of each spring is connected by a corresponding hook 45 with a bridgeslide hook 37 as illustrated in FIG. 6. These springs 43 are underconstant tension even when the two slides are drawn together as closelyas is permitted by the arms 39 and when the slides are separated theyare, of course, under greater tension so as to function in the desiredmanner to draw an attached waist belt relatively tightly around thewaist of the wearer.

In this first embodiment of the invention a locking means is providedfor securing one end of a waist belt to the bridge slide element of thebuckle. Such locking means is illustrated in FIG. 10 and is generallydesignated 46 and comprises a metal plate 47 having a transverse widthapproximately equalling the distance between the inner surfaces of theside walls 33 of the bridge slide within which bridge slide the plateand an end of the belt are secured.

One end edge of the plate 47 has a right angularly turned flange 48therealong and adjacent to the opposite end edge of the plate 47 fromthe flange 48 the plate carries several upstanding spurs or prongs 49 ina row paralleling the adjacent plate edge and these spurs extendupwardly from the same side of the flange as shown in FIG. 10.

Each of the side walls 33 of the bridge slide carries upon its innersurface or has projecting from its inner side a longitudinally extendingridge 50, which ridge may be formed by pressing the wall materialinwardly and the ridge is spaced midway between the face plate 32 andthe flange 34 and is designed to form a supporting track for an edge ofthe plate 47. The end of each ridge 50 nearest to the slide 16 istapered or sloped slightly as indicated at 51 and at the opposite endthe ridge bends or is directed obliquely outwardly toward the face plate32 as indicated at 52.

In FIG. 4 there are illustrated the fixed and adjustable end portions ofa waist belt, such fixed and adjustable portions being respectivelyindicated by the reference numerals 53 and 54. In the employment of thelocking means or locking element 46 for securing the end portion 53 ofthe waist belt to the bridge slide, such end portions of the belt isextended through the bridge slide from the end thereof remote from thepost 49 and is placed upon the plate 47 over the points of the spurs 49and with its end edge against the flange as. The plate 47 with the endof the belt located thereon is then inserted into the bridge slide alongthe underface or inner face of the plate 32, the opposite or lateraledges 47:: of the plate resting upon the ridges 50. The tapered orsloping end portions of the ridges 5t) facilitate the guiding of theplate edges 47a onto the ridges and when the ends of the edges 47anearest to the spurs reach the opposite ends of the ridges they willride up on the angled end portions 52, thereby binding the belt betweenthe plate 47 and the inner face of the plate 31 of the bridge slide. Thelength of the plate 47, which is the distance between the transverseedge adjacent to the spurs 49 and the flange 48, is such that when theplate is stopped in its movement by the angled portions 52 of theridges, the edge of the flange 48 will be engaged against the inner faceof the plate 32 as shown in FIG. 4. Also the squeezing or pressing ofthe material at the end portion of the belt between the plate 47 and thebridge slide face plate 32 will force the spurs or rongs 49 into thematerial so as to firmly secure the same into place.

Means is also provided whereby the fixed or secured end portion of abelt may be permanently attached to the belt buckle by sewing orstitching in place of using the locking element or locking plate 46. Themeans whereby this manner of attaching the belt at one end permanentlyto the buckle is illustrated in FIGS. 11 to 14 inclusive.

It will be noted that the bridge slide 14 is illustrated as having theinturned flanges 34 thereof provided at the ends which are remote fromthe inner slide 16, with the apertures 55. In FIGS. 11 to 14 it will beseen that these apertures are designed to be employed for coupling tothe bridge slide, a yoke member which is generally designated 56. Theyoke member 56 comprises a cross bar 57 having extended from each end anarm 58, each of the arms being slightly inset with respect to the endsof the bar 57, thereby providing a notch or recess at the inner end ofeach arm at 59 in which a side edge of a belt end may engage. The freeends of the arms 58 are hooked as indicated at 60 and each of thesehooks is adapted to be engaged in an opening 55 and the hook may then beforcibly closed so as to prevent it from escaping from the opening.

The numeral 61 designates an end portion of a belt which is reduced andlooped or folded over the bar 57 and then turned back and stitched toitself as indicated at 62, whereby to form a permanent fastening betweenthe belt end and the bar of the yoke 56.

By providing the bridge slide initially with the openings 55, it will beseen that either of the two ways of fixing an end of a belt to thebuckle may be employed, that is, use may be made of the locking element46, as

hereinbefore described, or, if preferred, the yoke 56 may be used. Itwill be understood, however, that the buckle may be constructed so as toleave the bridge slide free of the openings 55 if desired.

It will be seen from the preceding description that when the lockingmeans 46 is employed for securing the belt end portion 53 to the buckle,the opposite and free or adjustable end portion 54 is connected with thesliding element or component 16 by engaging the headed end of the post46 through an opening in the free end of the belt. With this arrangementit will be seen, also, that the free end of the belt portion 54 willthen be slid through the bridging slide 14 to lie between the endportion 53 and the body 12 of the buckle and each end portion will becompletely hidden.

When use is made of the yoke 56 for attaching the end portion 61 of abelt to the buckle, then it will be seen upon reference to FIG. 12 thatwhen the opposite or free end portion 63 is attached by means of thepost 40, such portion will extend through the bridging slide over theouter side of the belt portion 61.

As previously stated the movement of the buckle bridging slide 14- inthe direction away from the inner or covered slide 16, on the body 12,will be limited by the tongues 30. However, in the embodiment of thestructure illustrated in FIGS. 15 to 20, a slightly different slideguide body construction is illustrated which allows a greater extent ofseparatory movement between the bridging slide and the inner or coveredslide. In this latter embodiment the slide guide body is generallydesignated 75, the bridging slide is generally designated 76, and theinner or covered slide is generally designated 77.

The body '75 is longitudinally arcuate as in the previously describedconstruction and as is shown in FIG. 16 and it comprises the front wallsection 78 and the back wall 79, which sections are preferably initiallycut or formed as a blank in the manner illustrated in FIG. 10, beingjoined together at the end 80 of the body by a portion of the metalwhich is bent in bringing the wall sections into parallel relation.

The two wall sections are flanged along their longitudinal edges asindicated at 81 and across the end of a body where the walls are joinedat 80 but this flange does not extend across the opposite ends of thewall sections there being only a connection between the front and backwall sections on the longitudinal center of the walls at 32, whichconnection is shown in section in FIG. 19.

The front wall section 78 is provided with a longitudinal slot 83 at theend remote from the connection 82 and the flanges 81 are recessed as at84 from locations adjacent to the inner end of the slot 83 to theopposite ends of the walls so that when the walls are brought into thejuxtaposed relation there will be provided the edge slots 85, each ofwhich extends partway across the end of the body toward the connection82.

The bridging slide 76 is substantially of the same form or constructionas the slide 14 except that the face plate portion 84 not only has thelongitudinal and substantially vertical or perpendicularly related sidewalls 85, but such side walls merge with the inwardly converging lowerwall portions 85. These converging wall portions 36 join one side of alongitudinal rib 87, the opposite side of which rib is continuedinwardly in the very narrow flange 88 which corresponds to the flanges34 of the first described structure.

As in the previously described construction the flanges, here designated88, carry the hooks 89 with which the springs 90 are connected, theother ends of the springs being connected to the inner slide 77 which,as shown, is of substantially the same construction as the hereinbeforedescribed slide 16. The other features of the embodiment shown in FIGS.15 to 20 are in correspondence with the features of the first describedconstruction.

It will be seen from the preceding description that the slide guide body75 is so designed that the bridging slide can be moved so that asubstantial portion of it will be extended beyond the end of the bodywhich is remote from the slide 77. In FIG. 17 the bridge slide isextended to the limit of its movement away from the slide 77, suchmovement being limited by engagement of the hooks 89 against theconnecting portion 82, as best shown in FIG. 17. In this figure theinner slide 77 is shown moved to the limit of its movement toward theconnecting portion 82 of the body but in FIG. 18 it will be seen thatwhile the bridging slide is in its extreme position toward the left endof the guide body the inner slide 77 may still be moved to the oppositeor remote end of the slot 83. Thus, it will be seen that in thisconstruction as in the originally described construction or firstembodiment, the two slides may have inserted movement, or one may moveaway from the other while the other is stationary, as in FIG. 17, orthey may both move simultaneously away from one another, as shown inFIG. 18.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that there is here disclosed anew and novel waist belt buckle construction which has many features ofadvantage not found in prior art buckle structures, a particularly novelfeature residing in the arrangement whereby both ends of the Waist beltmay have movement with respect to the garment and the body to which theyare attached and may also have movement one independently of the otherin response to the requirements imposed thereon.

I claim:

1. A buckle of the character described, comprising an elongate flat bodyhaving spaced front and back walls forming an elongate chamber, the bodyhaving longitudinal edge slots opening into the chamber, a first slidemember having a part extending across said front wall, said slide memberhaving other parts extending through said slots into said chamber andslidable in and longitudinal of the slots, a second slide member, thesecond slide member being housed in the chamber for movement in andlongitudinally of the same independently of the first slide member,means for securing one end of a belt to the first slide member,resilient contractile coupling means between said other parts of thefirst slide member and the second slide member, and means for attachingthe other end of a belt to the second slide member.

2. The invention according to claim 1, wherein the first stated means isdesigned to secure the said one end of the belt to the first named partof the first slide member between said first named part and said frontwall of the body.

3. The invention according to claim 1, wherein the last stated meanscomprises a member carried by the second slide member and extendingthrough a slot formed in and longitudinally of the said front wall ofthe body.

4. A buckle structure of the character described comprising an elongate,longitudinally arcuate relatively thin chambered slide carrier bodyhaving spaced front and back walls and having opposing edge flangesextending lengthwise of the body and recessed through the major extentof their length to provide the body with longitudinal edge slots, afirst slide member, said slide member comprising a plate part disposedacross said front wall and having side Wall portions extending acrossthe edges of said front wall and joining flanges which extend throughsaid slots into the body chamber, said flanges being slidable in saidslots, said first slide member being slidable to a position where itprojects a substantial distance beyond one end of the carrier body, asecond slide member within said chamber for movement between the saidflanges of the first slide member and the other end of the carrier body,means carried by one slide member for maintaining the slide members inspaced relation while permitting both separatory and unitary movementsthereof, spring means coupling the slide members and yieldingly urgingthe same together, and means associated with each slide member forattaching an end of a belt thereto.

5. The invention according to claim 4, wherein the last named meanswhich is associated with the first slide member comprises a lockingplate carried by the said plate part of the first slide member, betweenwhich locking plate and plate part the belt end is gripped.

6. The invention according to claim 4, wherein the last named meanswhich is associated with the second slide member comprises a postextending through a slot formed in and longitudinally of the body frontwall at the end of the latter remote from the first slide member.

7. The invention according to claim 4, wherein the last named meanswhich is associated with the first slide member comprises asubstantially U-shaped yoke having a cross bar and having two legportions each attached at one end to and extending from an end of thecross bar and a movable coupling between the other end of each legmember and a side of the first slide member, the yoke being instraddling relation with the adjacent end of the body.

8. A waist belt buckle, comprising an elongate, longitudinally arcuatethin chambered slide carrier body having spaced front and back walls andhaving opposing edge flanges extending lengthwise of the body andrecessed through the major extent of their length to provide the bodywith longitudinal edge slots, a first slide member, said slide membercomprising a part disposed across said front wall and having sideportions extending across the edges of said front wall and joined toflanges which extend through said slots into the body chamber, saidflanges being slidable in said slots, a second slide member Within saidchamber for movement between said flanges of the first slide member andthe other end of the carrier body, spring means within the body chamberand coupling the slide members and yieldingly urging the same toward oneanother, and means associated with each slide member for attaching anend of a belt thereto.

9. The invention according to claim 8, wherein the last named meanswhich is associated with the second slide member comprises a postextending through a slot formed in and longitudinally of the body frontwall.

10. The invention according to claim 8, wherein each of said flangescarries a hook member located within the body chamber to each of whichan end of a spring means is connected.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,416,609 5/22Clausen 2-'339 1,493,684 5/24 Linder 24163.1 1,644,720 10/27 Goldstein24-163 1,737,492 11/29 Carroll 24163.1 1,752,414 4/30 Burnett 24--163.12,388,752 11/45 Loos 24-163 2,854,721 10/58 Stuchko 24-181 FOREIGNPATENTS 1,020,735 11/52 France. 552,869 12/56 Italy.

DONLEY I. STOCKING, Primary Examiner.

ABRAHAM G. STONE, Examiner.

1. A BUCKLE OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED, COMPRISING AN ELONGATE FLAT BODYHAVING SPACED FRONT AND BACK WALLS FORMING AN ELONGATE CHAMBER, THE BODYHAVING LONGITUDINAL EDGE SLOTS OPENING INTO THE CHAMBER, A FIRST SLIDEMEMBER HAVING A PART EXTENDING ACROSS SAID FRONT WALL, SAID SLIDE MEMBERHAVING OTHER PARTS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID SLOTS INTO SAID CHAMBER ANDSLIDABLE IN AND LONGITUDINAL OF THE SLOTS, A SECOND SLIDE MEMBER, THESECOND SLIDE MEMBER BEING HOUSED IN THE CHAMBER FOR MOVEMENT IN ANDLONGITUDINALLY OF THE SAME INDEPENDENTLY OF THE FIRST SLIDE MEMBER,MEANS FOR SECURING ONE END OF A BELT TO THE FIRST SLIDE MEMBER,RESILIENT CONTRACTILE COUPLING MEANS BETWEEN SAID OTHER PARTS OF THEFIRST SLIDE MEMBER AND THE SECOND SLIDE MEMBER, AND MEANS FOR ATTACHINGTHE OTHER END OF A BELT TO THE SECOND SLIDE MEMBER.